If you’re in an automobile accident, whether a treatable injury occurred or not, you may have questions regarding the claim filing process. Automobile insurance companies have a multitude of different policy clauses that may prevent you from obtaining the amount of compensation you’re entitled to if your claim isn’t filed correctly, so it’s important that you know as much about the claim process as possible. You may also have auto insurance claim questions about what type of recovery the law allows.
Auto Insurance Claim FAQ
- What Does my Auto Insurance Cover? This answer will depend on the carrier and the coverage you purchase for your vehicle. Every insurance company carries its own stipulations on circumstances it will “pay out” for, and if you don’t have the right kind of coverage for the circumstances of your accident your insurance company can deny either reimbursing you or the other party in the accident. The most common types of coverage are:
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- Liability Coverage- This is the most common type of policy purchased, as it mainly covers any damages to the other party’s vehicle or injuries you or your vehicle are responsible for. In most cases, however, liability coverage does not cover damages to your vehicle.
- “Full” Coverage- Though there isn’t an existing insurance policy that truly covers every instance that can possibly occur, full coverage usually consists of the minimum liability insurance plus an added coverage, or comprehensive and collision insurance. If you do not have collision coverage and you caused the accident, you may not be able to recover damages for your own property loss.
- What Do I Do if I’m in an Automobile Accident? In general the first thing that should be done after an accident is to call 911. In any case of an auto accident where there is a possibility of injury, it’s best to have both law enforcement and emergency medical professionals arrive at the scene as soon as possible to give a proper assessment of the accident scene in the accident report they fill out. Once the accident report has been filled out, obtain a copy of it and file a claim with your insurance company as soon as you can so that processing and compensation are performed in a timely manner.
- What if the Other Party Doesn’t Have Insurance? This can be an extremely difficult situation to deal with. Many insurance companies will not accept a claim for an accident in cases where one party doesn’t have any insurance coverage, because it may not be a policy of the insurance company to cover all damages and loss for any accident. In most cases, a claim will be denied and you will have to seek reimbursement directly from the uninsured party, either directly from them or through the process of a lawsuit. If you have uninsured motorist coverage, however, then you should be able to obtain coverage from your own insurer through that provision of your policy.
- What do I do if My Claim is Denied? If you file a claim with your insurance company for coverage of accident damages and are denied, chances are you will need to obtain the services of an experienced injury lawyer to file a suit against the insurance company you seek payment from, whether it’s yours or the responsible party’s.
Getting Help
It is generally a good idea to get an attorney involved in your car accident claim and case as soon as possible. Your lawyer can help you talk to your insurance adjuster and can also help you to understand when it may be in your best interests to file a lawsuit instead of to deal directly with the insurance company.
